Buffer.



110.74 409; PATENTBD DEc 22,'190s.-

' W. M. FULTON.

BUFFER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 19, 1903.

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

PAT NT QFFICE.

WESTON M. FULTON, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

BUFFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters-Patent No. 747,409, dated December 22, 1 903:

Application filed May 19, 1903. Serial No. 157,858. (No mudsld To all whom itjimy concern:

Be it known that I, WESTON M. FUL'roN, a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bulfe which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

"This invention relates to bulfer-springs. In springs of this class composed of metal or other'elastic material, wherein the spring action is dependent upon the resiliency of a solidsuch as steel, rubber, and the likethe spring in time loses its efiiciency because of the deterioration of the material of which itis composed. The metal undergoes a change which is technically known as tiring, and

the rubber is'oxidized by tbeair or otherwise at any fixed pressure equal changes in temperature will produce equal changes in the volume of the gas.

In the practice of this invention a suitable gas or'mixture of gases is'confined in an expansible and coll ipsible vessel,s0 constructed that it may yield along the line of one dimen-' sion only, the yielding walls of the vessel being free from angles, whereby lines of cleavage or breakage would result in case of continual use. In order to obtain this result, it is necessary that the walls of the vessel should be composed of material possessing certain resiliency and which yet possesses sufficient rigidity to enable it to resist the outward pressure of the gas along any but the desired line. In the practical exemplitication of the invention illustrated herein the vessel consists of two rigid end walls, preferably having indentations therein, which end walls are connected by a cylindrical wall of flexiblermaterial, as sheet steel or brass, said walls being deeply corrugated. The particular manner of forming the corrugations'is of much importance. As here shown, the corrugations consist of plane surfaces substantially nor mai to the line of expansion and contraction of the vessel, which plans surfaces are connected by curved portions, the whole being so constructed that the wall from endto end is entirely free from any angles, and therefore free from any point where a destructive strain could be placed upon the metal of the vessel tending to crack or break the same.

()ne mechanical expression of the inventive idea is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is a broken side elevation of a car-truck, showing my invention applied thereto as a buffer-spring between the truck and the framework of the car, the cylindrical vessel being shown in vertical section.

Referring to the drawing, 1 is a rigid indented en-u' wall of a collapsible vessel which is firmly secured to and supported on the beam 2, forming part of the car-truck, and is a like rigid end wall, said walls 1 and 3 being connected bytho corrugated wall 4, preferably formed of sheet metal and corrugated, as shown, so as to be free from angles, and having substantially horizontal portions connected by curved portions. Resting upon the upper wall 3 is the beam 5, forming the part of the car-truck which is supported upon the spring, said beam having a bearing therein for the king-pin 6, secured to the beams 7 of the car. 'lhe collapsible vessel is filled with any suitable gas, preferably air, and is then hermetically sealed, so as to confine the air therein. The weight of the car will tend to cbllapso the vessel, whose corrugated wall being made of non-yielding material will permit of no bulging or expansion in any direction except upwardly with the axis of the vessel, thereby rendering it possible to utilize the superior elastic property of the gas or gases confined within theyessel to the exclusion of any expansion or contraction of the vessel along any undesirable lines. The

curved form of the corrugations in the enpansible and contractible wall 4. givestthe vessel greater durability than is possessed by vessels having angularcorrugations, the combination as awhole forming a groatiy'ijmproved cushion or buffer.

\ While I have herein shown my invention as applied to the truck of a car whereby it forms an efficient car-spring or buffer, it is who understood that the invention is not limited to such application, hntthatit is intended to be applied to any use where a buffer or spring'may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- l. A bntfer or spring composed of a vessel having rigid end walls and elastic lateral metallic walls which yield only along the line of the vessels collapse, with a gas hermetically sealed therein.

2. The combination of a hermeticallysealed vessel inclosing a gas, said vessel consisting of rigid end walls and corrugated inet-allic lateral walls yielding only along the line of one dimension.

3. A bntfer or spring consisting of it hermetically-sealed vessel havinga gas confined therein and composed of rigid end walls con nected by corrugatednon-angular metallic walls yielding only along the line of the vessols collapse.

4. A buffer or spring consisting of a. lie!- nieticnlly-sealed vessel havinga gas confined therein and composed of indented rigid end walls connected by metallic corrugated nonangular lateral walls yielding only along the line of one diinension of the vessel.

A buffer or spring consisting of a hollow hermetically-sealed vessel having 'rigid end walls and collapsible metallic side walls which yield along the line of one dimension of the vessel only, and a gas in said vessel.

6. A butter or spring consisting of a hollow hermetically-sealed vessel having rigid end walls and corrugated metallic side walls, the

corrugations being com posed of portions sub-- WESTON M. FULTON.

Witnesses:

HUGH M. TATE, Rom". M. \VILLIAMSON. 

